Ministry of Agriculture & Lands–Given the thrust of the Ministry of Agriculture in ensuring food and nutrition security for all, Root Crops have been prioritized for increased production in 2020.
Yams, Cassava, Sweet Potatoes, Dasheen, Eddoes, Tannia, Ginger and Turmeric, were the highlight of a training held on March 05, 2020, at the Mirabeau Agricultural Station, where close to 100 farmers, Agriculture Field Officers, and 4-H’ers convened for the opportunity to gain useful information in planting root crops.
The objective of the one-day session, which was held in collaboration with the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), was to provide participants with the recommended cultural practices for Root Crops grown in Grenada.
The session took on a group oriented approach, as persons were placed into 4 groups that were rotated, giving them full exposure to all categories of the training.
“The idea is to improve on our production and productivity,” said Chief Extension Officer, Mr. Randolph Shears.
“It is well known that we import, from time to time, Root Crops from St. Vincent and these Root Crops we can grow them here. We have the right soil, we have the farmers, we have the technique, we have the ideal weather conditions, we have excellent varieties and we can produce these Root Crops right here in Grenada,” Shears stated.
Minister for Agriculture, Hon. Yolande Bain-Horsford offered some words of encouragement to the participants, stating that training is very important in propelling the sector.
She said, “Sometimes we feel that we know everything. As farmers, we have been farming for all these years and we have all the techniques in the world; we stick things in the ground and they grow but these days we have new techniques. We have smart climate practices and you get things double than when you use to plant with your old techniques,” she said.
“Start planting more,” she encouraged.
A variety of farmers were attracted to the training, and the methods demonstrated by the Agronomists, and Extension Officers from the Ministry of Agriculture, encouraged Non-Root Crop Producers to consider cultivating some of the targeted crops.
One farmer, Craig Hazzard explained.
“I am thinking about going into Tannia and Dasheen Production. As a farmer, we tend to stick to the traditional method of doing stuff. The technical knowledge we gathered can help us increase our yields,” he said.
Moving forward, the Ministry will be tasked with ensuring that the techniques learnt, are in fact, implemented by the farmers.
